A good friend heard me explain the different kinds of fly line you get, to a customer, and said i should put that into a blog, so here goes.

1: Weight forward (WF)
2:  Double taper    (DT )

Weight forward fly lines are good fly lines for a beginner to start with, the line tapers from thin to thick and can only be put on the fly reel one way, backing end attaches to the thin end of the fly line, and the thick end (WF) is the end the fly leader is attached to, which the flies go on.

These lines can  also be very effective in the hands of an experienced fisher person, as you have the ability to really throw a very long line out using the weight of the line to assist you.  


Double taper fly lines, usually have a longer durability, these types of line start thick, go thin, and go thick again, this means you can put the line on to the reel any way round, allowing you to reverse the line round at the end of the year, so you can a longer life out of your  fly line.

All fly lines are either,
1:  Floating
2:  Intermediate / Neutral..ie...Sink a little
3:  Slow sink....self explanatory
4:  Medium Sink....."................
5:  Fast sink..........."................
6:  Extra super fast sink...........

Fast sinking lines can be quite difficult to use, as you normally have to pull all of the fly line off the water before you can begin casting again, a term you some times here is the washing line effect, this is where you put a floating fly on the point (furthest most fly) normally a fly called a boobie, made with polystyrene , that's why it floats, followed by a couple of buzzers(which will sink) your sinking line will be heavy enough to eventually drag down the boobie fly, the buzzers will sit lower in the water and give you a washing line effect, this is normally a very slow way to fish, you only tweak the line every now and then, can be very effective if the fish are low down or it's a bright day and the fish are easily spooked. 


All fly lines come with a number, this relates to the weight of the line and balances the rod.
Trout fly lines typically begin at  4..or 4/5..this is a light line and is usually used on small rivers / streams, the same for 5/6 lines. 6..or..6/7.. or. 7.. 7/8  slightly heavier..can be used on bigger waters where you need to be able to cast a bit further, generally these are trout lines, used on Lochs / Lakes.
Fly lines beginning   8....8/9....9 are Sea trout lines, verging on Salmon lines, which are usually 9 /10 /11/12 and up and normally used on big rivers.

When entering a fishing tackle shop and asking the shop assistant, for a fly line, the first question the assistant will ask is, "what is the fly line rating on your rod" ie,  the number on the base of the rod, the rod  base explains a lot of info, ie The make or manufacturer of the rod, the length of the rod and the AFTM (American Fly-fishing trade manufacturer) Line rating "The Number." 

Tight lines.